Polly Toynbee (Comment, 15 May) rightly wants Labour to sort itself out after its disastrous defeat. The rush into an instant leadership contest will not allow this. Any party debate now would be limited to the views of candidates who will naturally be concerned with getting support rather than taking part in a general debate involving as many party members as possible.

Labour is making the same mistake as in 1983: a heavy defeat and an instant leadership contest. At that time, as a Labour MP, I wrote to Michael Foot asking him to reconsider his resignation so as to give the party time for a real internal debate about its future before electing a new leader. Michael did not, so I abstained in the leadership contest to register my profound disquiet. If only the national executive committee and Harriet Harman could be persuaded to postpone the election until after the annual conference; this would give the party time to reflect on the radically new political situation.

The party as a whole has to decide where it went wrong and what course to steer through the coming period of austerity, bearing in mind the new positions taken by the Lib Dems and Conservatives. A leadership debate is no substitute for a wide-ranging party debate.

Eric Deakins

London

• Now that Jon Cruddas has ruled himself out of the Labour party leadership contest, and another contender David Miliband has bemoaned this on the basis that he wants "as wide a field as possible" (Cruddas rules himself out of Labour leadership, 18 May), it is right that socialist Labour MP John McDonnell has declared his intention to stand.

McDonnell tried to prevent the coronation of Gordon Brown as Labour leader when Tony Blair stood down but was prevented by the nominations threshold. McDonnell stands for a radical shift in party policy to the left. He opposes war, Trident replacement, nuclear weapons and energy, privatisation, tax evasion, anti-trade union laws, ID cards and the national database. And he wants to reduce child poverty, tax the super-rich, promote peace and international development, return utilities and the railways to public ownership, enhance employment and trade union rights, and create a green economy with sustainable energy and green jobs.

Gary Heather

London

• John McDonnell has announced his intention to stand for leader. In order to stand, candidates need to be nominated by 32 MPs. However, we only have until 27 May to get the number required. If the party is genuine about wanting a proper contest, then it must extend the cut-off date for nominations. It clearly discriminates against backbenchers and gerrymanders the ballot.

We need people who come from all strands of the party to have a debate over its future policies and direction. Candidates with broadly the same views will fail to deliver the wide-ranging policy debate Labour urgently needs.

Ged Dempsey

Rotherham, South Yorkshire

• If Pete Williams is looking for a party that incorporates the values of old Labour and then some (Letters, 17 May), he need look no further than the Green party manifesto. The old saw about the Greens having the right ideas but being unelectable has – hopefully – been laid to rest with the election of Caroline Lucas as MP for Brighton Pavilion. Voting Green is so much simpler than trying to resurrect Labour: how does one resurrect a party that supported the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, Trident, a massive national debt and the dire restriction of civil liberties?

Jill Haas

Oxford

• Over the past 10 years or so the fastest growing political grouping has been "people who've left the Labour party". In explaining why he won't be standing for the leadership, and setting out a vision of the issues that the party should be considering, John Cruddas presents the first serious bid to rebuild a mass membership (Hand on heart, I do not want to be Labour leader, 18 May). And it could be done without nose pegs.